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Top 15 Free Agent Destinations For Kevin Durant

After eight seasons in Oklahoma City, it isn't a stretch to say that Kevin Durant may be departing for a new team after the 2016 playoffs conclude. The last year of his five-year contract will be up, and he will then become an unrestricted free agent, with a plethora of teams around the league bound to have strong interest in the all-star scorer. Will the Thunder propose a worthwhile offer to him, or will he be on the hunt to join another contender to play out the prime of his career?

There are several obvious choices for Durant to consider, and also a few that are almost out of the question. It's unlikely that it would be feasible for him to join a roster as successful as the Warriors or the Cavaliers. Both of those teams already have their established stars, and moving to either franchise poses too much of a risk of continuing the power struggle Durant currently faces with the Thunder, which involves him competing with Russell Westbrook as the face of the franchise.

Instead, if Durant decides to move on, it will likely be with a team that mostly has a young, talented roster, that is already a playoff team, or is close to being a perennial playoff contender. At age 27, Durant is about to enter the prime of his career, and probably won't be willing to take on a rebuilding project. The only exceptions could be for a very specific media market, or if the contract is just too good to pass up.

Either way, it should be an interesting focal point of the upcoming NBA offseason. Ranked below are the top 15 free agent destinations for Kevin Durant.

8 Toronto Raptors

7 Orlando Magic

6 Minnesota Timberwolves

5 Houston Rockets

4 Washington Wizards

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

3 Memphis Grizzlies

Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

2 Portland Trail Blazers

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

1 Los Angeles Lakers

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Now that Kobe's excessive farewell tour has ended, the Lakers can get back to trying to win games during the regular season. This is the perfect opportunity for Durant to sign a high-profile contract with a major market, and lead a young roster down the path to prosperity. Undoubtedly, for all their struggles this season, the Lakers have some young talent waiting in the wings. Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell are only going to get better, and in the presence of an elite scorer, who is actually willing to help them get better, the roster would be on the right track. The carpet has been presented to Durant in L.A. to become the next face of the franchise. It's enticing, and could transform his career from elite star, to national superstar. The only question is: will he take the bait?